Cow-catcher



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J OB J. SMITH, OF FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY.

COW-CATCH ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 461,286, dated October 13, 1891.

Application filed February 20, 1891. Serial No. 382,255- (Ilo model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOB J. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Frankfort, in the county of Franklin and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Cow- Catcher, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to a cow-catcher attachment for locomotives, cable, electric, and other power-driven cars; and the objects in view are to provide a cheap and efficient device to be located under the ordinary cowcatcher, if the same be used, and to be operated by the revolving wheels of the car orlocomotive, and adapted to automatically throw from the track any obstacle thereon and with which the cow-catcher may come in cont-act, thus avoiding the sacrifice of many lives and valuable stock, and preventing the wrecking of trains. 7

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof willbe particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective of the front end of a locomotive provided with a cow-catcher attachment constructed in accordance with my invention, the usual cow-catcher being removed. Fig. 2 is abottom plan view. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section. Fig. 4: is a perspective of one of the sprocket-wheels. Fig. 5 is a detailview oft-he connection between the movable shaft and truck.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 designates the platform of a locomotive or other power-driven car, 2 the front axle, 3 the j ourn al-boxes for the same, and 4 the front wheels, all of the usual construction.

To the front end of the platform there are secured the rear terminals of a pair of forwardly-.

disposed frames 5. The frames 5 are of triangular shape and project in front of the car, and are disposed parallel to each other, they having their terminals connected by means of cross-bars 6. Short standards? are mounted on the upper cross-bar 6 and are provided with bearing-openings, in which are j ournaled a pair of short rotatable shafts 8. Between their ends the shafts 8 are mounted in movable boxes 9, the upper sides of which are connected by universal joint-s in the brackets 10,

located upon the under side of the carin front of the front axle. At their rear ends the short shafts are provided with beveled gears 11,

which engage with and are operated by similar gears 12, mounted upon the axles 2 at the inner side of each of the bearings of the latter. The front ends of these shafts are also provided with beveled pinions 13 and the same normally engage beveled pinions 14, formed on the upper sides of twin sprocketwheels 15, journaled between the cross-bars.

In bearings 16, located upon theunder side of the car, isa reciprocating bar 17, to the front end of which is pivoted, as at 18, a pair and short shafts driven or not, as the casemay be.

At the front angle of and between the two frames there is located an idle-roller 21, so that any'obstruction lying in the center of the track will first meet the roller and be deflected by the latter to either one or the other side of the cow-catcher. -At each side of the idle-roller,'at the front end of the frames, there is loosely journaled a grooved rolleror pulley 23, and beyond the same at the opposite side angles of the frame second grooved pulleys 24, and between said pulleys and the two frames a track 25 is located, having a central groove 25' in line with the grooves of the pulleys just mentioned. The two grooved pulleys at each side of the frame and the spocket at each side are connected by a pair of sprocket-chains 26, which at intervals have. their links provided with outwardly extending pins 27. v

In operation the axle serves to drive the short shafts S, which latter engage with and drive the pinions of the twin sprockets, and the latter, each engaging with the chain, serves to operate the same,the two chains moving in opposite directions over the grooved.

v ing it by means of the V-shaped cow-catcher alone.

The device may be thrown into operation by the engineer previous to meeting the obstruction and when he discovers danger, or may operate in connection with the axle at all times.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combination, with the axle of a locomotive or other power-driven car, of a frame extending from the car, pulleys mounted in the frame, chains mounted on the pulleys and provided with engaging devices, and means for transmitting motion from the axle to the chains for moving the latter in opposite directions, substantially as specified.

2..The combination, with a locoinotive or other power-driven car, of a cow-catcher frame extending from the front of the car, a series of pulleys mounted at opposite sides of the center of the frame and provided with engaging chains, and means for operating said chains in opposite directions, substantially as specified.

3. The combination, with a locomotive or other power-driven car, the front axle, and gears mounted on the axle, of a cow-catcher frame provided with a series of pulleys at each side of its center, chains connecting each series andprovided at intervals with engaging pins, and intermediate devices for transmitting motion from thegears of the axle to the chains, substantially as specified.

4. The combination, with the locomotive or other power-driven car, the frontaxle, and the gears thereon, of a cow-catcher frame supported at the front end of the car, pulleys located at each side of the center of the frame,

a sprocket for each series of pulleys, a chain connecting each series of pulleys with its sprocket, said sprockets being provided with toothed gear-faces, short shafts located between the frame and axle, and gears mounted on the opposite ends of the shafts", one gear of each shaft engaging the gear of the axle and the remaining gear engaging the gear of the sprockets, substantially as specified.

5. The combination, with the locomotive, the axle, and gear-wheels mounted thereon, of a cow-catcher frame mounted in front of the locomotive and provided at each side of its center with a series of pulleys and a sprocket, one of the faces of which is provided with a gear, opposite intermediate shafts terminating at their ends in gears, one of which engages the gears of the sprockets and the remainder the gears of the axle, and means for moving the shafts, whereby-the gears of the same are thrown out" of engagement with the gears of the axle, substantially as specified.

6. The combination, with the platform of a locomotive or other power-driven car, the wheels, the front axle, and the beveled pinions mounted thereon, of the triangular frames forwardly disposed and parallel to each other,

the transverse connecting-bars at the rear ends of the same, pulleys loosely connecting the frames and located at the side angles and near-the front angle, the tracks locatedbetween the pulleys, the twin sprockets journaled in rear of the pulleys between the crossbars, the opposite chains connecting the sprockets with the pulleys and provided at intervals with engaging pins, the loose roller in the front of the frame, the brackets mounted on the under side of the platform, the short shafts, the boxes for the same and mounted universally in the brackets, the beveled gears mounted on the opposite ends of the shafts and engaging the pinions of the sprocket and those of the axle, a reciprocating rod located under the car and terminating at its inner end in a handle, and loose links pivoted at their inner ends to the rod and at their outer ends to the boxes, substantially as specified. In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses. 1

. JOB J. SMITH.

Witnesses: I

L. J. WALLACE,

L. O. WALLACE. 

